The use of certain equipment in cold temperatures is problematic in that the electrical, mechanical and electro-magnetic components become sluggish and may even seize up. Such equipment includes, but is not limited to, still photography and video cameras, surveying equipment, weather monitoring equipment, portable radio transmitter/receivers, hunting equipment, etc. In addition, for battery powered equipment, cold temperatures cause batteries to drain very quickly and make them less efficient and may require their frequent replacement. Equipment operators have no choice but to carry an inordinate amount of extra weight for backup battery power. During the time it takes to change the batteries, the equipment is not available for use, which may result in the loss of data capture. Furthermore, the equipment operator is challenged in cold temperatures to operate and make adjustments to the equipment. For some equipment, one hand may be protected by wearing a glove, but the other hand may have to be exposed to the cold temperatures in order to give the equipment operator the dexterity and tactile feel necessary to operate and make equipment adjustments required for a particular use. For some equipment, both hands may need to be exposed. The equipment operator must endure the cold temperatures on his or her bare hand or hands (which in extreme cold temperatures may not be a viable option), or attempt to operate and make equipment adjustments while wearing bulky gloves, usually with less than satisfactory results due to the loss of dexterity and tactile feel. Other adverse weather elements on top of cold temperatures, such as rain, snow, sleet, hail, ice, etc. serve to exacerbate the problem.
Under these conditions, it has been known in the past, for example, for a photographer to hold a camera with his or her bare hand inside his or her coat when not in use to keep both the camera and his or her hand warm and to protect both from the above mentioned adverse weather elements. However, this may cause water condensation to occur on the lens and viewfinder glass, causing additional problems for the photographer. It has also been known in the past to use rubber bands or other securing means to secure portable temporary heating elements to certain equipment in an effort to keep the equipment warm. These attempts have met with little success because they provide only a temporary solution to the problem of equipment performance in cold temperatures, and they completely fail to solve the problem of keeping the equipment operator's hand or hands warm while operating or making adjustments to the equipment and fail to protect the equipment from the adverse weather elements. Also, the equipment operator may not be ready to operate the equipment timely while his or her hand and the equipment are being held inside their jacket. Such would be the case, for example, for a photographer who needs to take an action shot, and by the time the camera is removed from his or her jacket and aimed and ready to shoot, the action scene or event may by then be over, or have passed by, and the opportunity to take the shot has been missed.
It is known in the art to provide various types of cases and covers for equipment for specialized purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,950, and a commercial product (patent pending), both describe a camera and lens protector for use during rain or other adverse weather elements. While such devices do provide some means of protection from water and other adverse weather elements, they are not designed for maintaining or ensuring the warmth of the camera (including the camera components and batteries), nor do they maintain or ensure the warmth of a photographer's hand. These considerations take on special significance in the case of operating equipment outdoors in cold temperature conditions, or in any other cold environment, such as an underground cave or mine, or unheated building in winter, for any extended length of time.
It is also known in the art to provide a heating element for a camera. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,585 describes a camera heating jacket that enables the photographer to “warm up” the camera with the electrically heated jacket prior to use. This invention requires the photographer to be near an electrical outlet prior to taking photographs, and is only a temporary solution. Once the heating jacket cools in the cold temperatures, the jacket is generally useless. In addition, this solution fails to address the problem of keeping the photographer's bare hand warm while at the same time enabling easy adjustment of the camera's settings.